Satomi liked Kenichi, but she couldn't accept his Playboy behavior, so she never confessed her feelings to him.
Instead, she smiled warmly in response to Nagao Kanji's long-standing gentleness and care.
Kenichi was displeased by the way his close friend looked at him, but he restrained himself, limiting his complaints.
As for the male lead, Nagao Kanji—
He was the classic peacemaker stuck in the middle.
He didn't want Satomi, whom he liked, to be hurt, nor did he want his friend Kenichi to be angry.
Only the female lead, Akana Rika, remained as sunny and cheerful as ever after drinking with the three of them.
Yet her gaze seemed to see straight through everything.
["Wow, Gu Qingyuan's character Satomi in this drama is kind of contradictory. She likes Kenichi but pretends to be reserved, and after meeting Nagao Kanji, she even says ambiguous things… This… green tea?"]
Xia Shiyun instantly grasped the core of the character.
She started to feel a bit of dislike toward Satomi.
Of course, that emotion wasn't directed at Gu Qingyuan herself.
After all, among all of Su Yan's dramas, her favorite role was still Yukishiro Tomoe.
Then, once the relationships between the characters were clearly laid out, the drama's mind-burning romance plot truly began.
Despite having argued bitterly during their drinking session the night before, Kenichi and Satomi ended up meeting privately the very next day—Kenichi personally invited Satomi out.
But before that, Satomi had already made plans with the male lead, Nagao.
After learning about this, Kenichi directly suggested that the three of them have dinner together after work.
?
The three of them together?
Xia Shiyun was completely confused.
In a typical TV drama, if a girl you'd asked out already had a date with another man, the two men would immediately fall out and become enemies.
But Kenichi in 'Tokyo Love Story' casually proposed a development no one would expect.
Was this the adaptability of a mature Playboy?
Then did that mean Su Yan, who could write such a character, was also a Playboy?
The plot continued.
Nagao initially thought Satomi had asked him out on a date.
He was overjoyed, believing he'd finally have a chance to spend time alone—and maybe grow closer—with the girl he liked.
Only to see Satomi bring her "good friend" Kenichi along to this so-called date.
By this point, Xia Shiyun was already angry.
"Even if it's Gu Qingyuan playing her, this is way too much. What are you two treating Nagao Kanji as?"
Although the three of them were having fun on-screen, Xia Shiyun felt deeply conflicted.
This male lead was kind of pitiful.
The first episode of 'Tokyo Love Story' focused on portraying the sincere friendship between Nagao Kanji, Mikami Kenichi, and Sekiguchi Satomi, as well as their tangled love triangle.
In a standard romance drama, just the push-and-pull between these three would be enough to make a solid series.
But what set 'Tokyo Love Story' apart from ordinary romance dramas was one variable—
The existence of the female lead, Akana Rika.
She shattered the stable triangular relationship and pushed the plot in an unpredictable direction.
Of course, because of this, in Su Yan's previous life, many fans complained that 'Tokyo Love Story' was essentially about three country folk coming to Tokyo and ganging up on Rika.
From beginning to end, those three were always a unit, and no matter how hard Rika tried, she never truly became part of their circle.
By the riverside, Kenichi and Nagao made a bet skipping stones across the water.
Kenichi said that if he won, Satomi would become his girlfriend.
Meanwhile, an emergency arose at Nagao's company—
A shipment urgently needed to be delivered to a designated location, and at that moment, Nagao was the closest person capable of receiving and delivering it on time.
With the joint efforts of Akana Rika and Nagao, the task was completed in a tense and thrilling manner.
After finishing the job, Nagao hurried off to reunite with his two friends, preparing to say goodbye to Akana Rika.
But then, a plot development Xia Shiyun never expected occurred.
After Nagao left, Satomi and Kenichi—alone together—ended up opening their hearts to each other.
Satomi confessed that she liked Kenichi.
And Kenichi admitted that he had always thought Satomi hated him.
"Huh? This is only the first episode! They're already laying everything out?"
At this moment, Xia Shiyun finally realized something was off.
'Tokyo Love Story' only seemed slow in pushing the main plot in episode one.
But in terms of information density and relationship progression, it was anything but slow.
In a normal drama, a love triangle reaching this stage would take at least three or four episodes of padding.
Yet 'Tokyo Love Story' used just half an hour to have two friends—who loved each other but misunderstood one another—lay their feelings bare.
Satomi couldn't accept Kenichi's flirtatious nature and would get angry whenever she saw him with other women.
Kenichi, on the other hand, believed Satomi simply hated him for being emotionally unfaithful.
Then came one of the most iconic scenes of episode one.
Nagao Kanji and the ever-smiling Akana Rika went together to find Kenichi and Satomi for another meal.
But outside the restaurant—
They saw Kenichi and Satomi embracing and kissing beneath a traffic light.
The background music surged.
Nagao Kanji looked on in sorrow at his best friend and the girl he secretly loved.
Xia Shiyun swallowed hard.
This development was insane.
They were arguing one moment—
And the next moment, this?
Kenichi, you're really something. The king of all playboys.
"Holy crap, tonight Su Yan–Gu Qingyuan CP fans are going to explode. This pacing is wild."
Even though it was obvious the kiss was shot using camera angles, what it represented in the story was crystal clear.
All those fans who had hoped to see Su Yan and Gu Qingyuan fall in love in this drama—
Their hearts shattered.
And in the drama, Nagao Kanji's heart truly shattered as well.
Su Yan's acting, honed through multiple productions, conveyed emotion so powerfully that it felt like it pierced straight through the screen.
But the most crucial part of this scene wasn't Nagao Kanji.
It was Akana Rika standing beside him.
She looked at the man next to her with aching sympathy.
She knew Nagao loved Satomi.
She also knew Kenichi was Nagao's best friend.
And those two were right across the street, kissing passionately—right in front of Nagao.
"This drama won't end in the first episode, will it? The relationship development is way too fast."
Xia Shiyun took a deep breath, her mind in chaos.
Satomi ran off, overwhelmed by the sudden kiss.
Traditional as she was, she couldn't accept Kenichi's behavior.
Kenichi was deeply shaken by Satomi's ambiguous attitude.
Nagao, his smile gone, wandered alone through the streets.
Akana Rika followed quietly beside him.
Say something already!
Poor Su Yan, the old thief.
Xia Shiyun's eyes grew misty.
Clang!
A sudden loud noise rang out.
Both Nagao and the audience across the Xia Nation turned to look.
Akana Rika had forcefully kicked over a stack of empty containers outside a convenience store.
A close-up of Rika's expression followed.
"Run—quickly!"
She grabbed Nagao's hand and shouted.
Nagao Kanji let himself be pulled along without reacting.
That moment—
Xia Shiyun's heart skipped.
Akana Rika didn't say any clichéd words of comfort.
Instead, she distracted him, pulling his attention elsewhere so he could feel just a bit better.
"You can't stop, or it'll catch up!" Akana Rika said with a smile, dragging Nagao through the nighttime streets of Tokyo.
"What'll catch up? Where are you taking me?"
"Over there!" Akana Rika pointed ahead.
What would catch up—
was sorrow.
If you stopped, the pain would come rushing back.
The drama didn't spell it out, but Xia Shiyun understood exactly what Akana Rika meant.
"This is the real female lead. She's an angel," Xia Shiyun whispered.
Based on character portrayal in just the first episode—
Akana Rika was ten times more likable than Sekiguchi Satomi.
She led Nagao to an empty park.
There, Akana Rika began talking about her own past.
She'd studied abroad from a young age and didn't have many friends.
That was why she envied the open, heartfelt friendship shared by Nagao and his friends.
"My best friend no longer keeps in touch with me," Akana Rika said with a smile, looking up at the sky.
"But I won't feel lonely. When I'm sad or alone at night, I just look up at the sky like this."
"There must be many people in the world like me. Everyone is alone in their own way. Even if we walk alone, we're all looking at the same sky."
The meaning of those words needed time to sink in.
If described using a line from Su Yan's previous life:
The bright moon rises over the sea—shared by us, though far apart.
Akana Rika looked at Nagao with a trace of concern in her smile.
When she realized he didn't look as sad anymore, her smile grew brighter.
"Why do you keep staring at me? Is something written on my face?"
"There is," Akana Rika replied with a smile.
["Does the girl in front of me… like me?"]
Xia Shiyun's fingers trembled slightly.
That was way too smooth.
If I were Nagao Kanji, I'd be instantly hooked.
Looking at Akana Rika's half-serious, half-playful smile—
This was a true master.
Satomi and Nagao were amateurs at love.
Kenichi and Rika—these two were the real high-level players.
Then came the most iconic scene of the first episode.
Late at night, the two prepared to part ways.
"See you tomorrow," Nagao said.
"It's already past midnight. That makes it today."
"Then… see you later today."
"Don't oversleep."
"I'll set my alarm!"
"I'll put on my pajamas."
They stood facing each other in front of the park, exchanging dozens of lines, neither willing to turn away first.
The sweetness was overwhelming.
Xia Shiyun was buzzing with excitement.
"At this rate, we'll never make it home."
"That's possible."
"Then let's both shout 'ready' and turn around together!" Rika suggested.
"Got it."
Xia Shiyun wore a full-on auntie smile.
Sure, watching Nagao get NTR'd earlier had been painful—
But this was genuinely sweet.
"One, two, three—ready!"
"One, two, three—ready!"
Nagao shouted, turned around, and jumped back.
He didn't sense anything wrong and slowly walked toward home, back facing Rika.
The background music began to play.
But as he walked, Nagao felt something was off.
He turned around—
And the scene behind him appeared on-screen.
Behind him stood Akana Rika, smiling brightly. She had never turned around at all, watching him leave with sincere eyes from the very beginning.
When she saw him turn back, her healing smile bloomed once more.
Xia Shiyun froze.
So did countless viewers in front of their televisions across the Xia Nation.
If Akana Rika had only made their hearts flutter before—
Now, it was a full-on emotional impact.
How could she be this adorable?
Su Yan, damn it—
You're this good at filming sweet romances, so why did you spend so long making depressing ones before?!
"You're so mean!" Nagao Kanji laughed awkwardly.
The wound in his heart left by Satomi seemed completely healed by Rika's smile.
"Kanji!"
"What?"
"Dumpling!" Rika said, playing on his name.
"What now!" Nagao smiled because of Rika's smile.
"Dumpling!"
Rika ran over, hugged Nagao tightly, and kissed him on the cheek.
"Good night!"
She turned and left with a smile.
The ending theme played.
Xia Shiyun felt her heart pounding.
The relationship had progressed so fast that it left her brain short-circuiting.
But that flutter in her chest—that emotion brought about by Akana Rika—
told her just how powerful this episode had been.
So good. So sweet!
But—
Su Yan, you old thief—
This is only the first episode!
Rika already kissed Kanji.
You still have such a long way to go—
How are you going to film the rest?!